Ohio pest control licensing at a glance
- Founding price: $49/mo flat, up to 3 techs
- Your $25 deposit counts toward your first month
- Confirmation emailed to you after purchase
Your founding-member confirmation is emailed to you after purchase. Your $25 counts toward your first month and is fully refundable any time before you start. Refund policy
License types and fees
| License | Who needs it | Key requirements | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Applicator License | Anyone applying pesticides to the property of another for hire, or for a government agency/school district | Pass general core exam plus at least one pesticide-use category exam; commercial applicants must also demonstrate competence to conduct diagnostic inspections in their categories; government photo ID at exam; passing scores valid 1 year | $35 initial and renewal per annual licensing period (Oct 1 - Sep 30); non-refundable; +50% if renewal not postmarked before expiration |
| Pesticide Business License (and each Registered Location) | Pesticide application and wood-destroying insect inspection businesses; each registered (branch) location | Application listing headquarters and each registered location; proof of financial responsibility (certificate of insurance or binder) | $35 per business license and $35 per registered location per annual period (Oct 1 - Sep 30); +50% late |
| Trained Serviceperson (unlicensed employee) | Employees applying pesticides under a licensed commercial applicator | Before first exposure, read ODA 'Safety Training Guide for Trained Servicepersons' or equivalent employer training, verified in writing; direct supervision by a commercial applicator located within 25 miles or 2 hours of the work site | None stated |
License categories
- 10a - General pest control (incl. rodents; excludes pest birds, termites, fungi, fumigants) - structural/general pest
- 10b - Termite control (termites and other invertebrate wood-destroying insects, incl. pre-construction) - termite/WDI
- 10c - Fumigation - fumigation
- 10d - Mosquito, house fly, and other vector control - public health/vector
- 12 - Wood-destroying insect diagnostic inspection (real estate; requires Ohio WDI inspection program certificate) - termite/WDI inspection
- 7 - Vertebrate animal control (pest birds, rodents, other vertebrates) - structural/vertebrate
- 8 - Turf pest control - lawn
- 6a - General ornamental pest control - ornamental
- 6c - Ornamental weed control - ornamental
Category 10 is titled ‘Domestic, institutional, structural, and health-related pest control’ in OAC 901:5-11-01(P)(10). Current rule lists only 10a-10d (no 10e/10f).
Exams
- Administered by: Ohio Department of Agriculture (register online or 614-728-6987)
- Format: Multiple choice, 25-150 questions depending on category, passing score 70%; core + at least one category required
- Exam fee note: No separate exam fee stated; only the $35 license application fee
- Retest: No earlier than 5 business days after a failed exam
Business license and insurance
Business license
- Requirement: Pesticide business license required for businesses applying pesticides or doing WDI inspections; each branch must be a registered location
- Fee: $35 per license and $35 per registered location, annual (Oct 1 - Sep 30)
Insurance / bond
- Requirement: Commercial general liability plus separate professional liability policy or care-custody-control endorsement covering pesticide application
- Minimums: $300,000 general aggregate; $300,000 per occurrence; $300,000 products & completed operations aggregate. WDI inspection businesses: errors & omissions $50,000 per occurrence / $100,000 aggregate. Insurer must give ODA 10 days notice of cancellation for non-payment, 30 days otherwise.
Renewal and continuing education
- Renewal period: Annual license (Oct 1 - Sep 30); recertification every 3 years
- CE hours per cycle: Commercial applicator: 5 hours per 3-year cycle (at least 1 hour core and at least 0.5 hour per licensed category), or re-examine
Application recordkeeping
- Contents: Structural (and cat. 7/10) applications, recorded in English on date of application: responsible applicator and trained servicepersons; customer name and address; date; pests controlled; locations and methods of treatment; trade name and EPA reg. no.; concentration/dilution and total volume; start and end time. Termite jobs: pre-treatment footprint drawing with linear dimensions (and depth to footer for liquid termiticide); bait-station records incl. number of stations and activity status. Copy to business location within 10 days.
- Retention years: 3
Free log with these fields: pesticide application record template.
Worth knowing
- Ohio fees are very low: $35 per commercial applicator license and $35 per business/registered location per year.
- Trained servicepersons may only apply pesticides when their supervising commercial applicator is within 25 miles or 2 hours of the job site.
- Termite applications require a pre-treatment footprint drawing of the structure with linear dimensions and, for liquid termiticides, depth to footer on all exterior walls.
- Only 5 hours of recertification training every 3 years are required for commercial applicators (min. 0.5 hour per category).
Official links
Law: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 921 (esp. 921.06 commercial applicator license, 921.09 business license); Ohio Administrative Code 901:5-11
Last verified 2026-09-23 against Ohio Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Health, Pesticide & Fertilizer Regulation Section and the official sources listed below. Fees and rules change - confirm with the agency before you apply. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Licensed and running a route?
PestRouteDesk is being built to keep state-ready chemical application records, recurring routes and billing for 1-5 tech shops. Founding members lock $49/mo.
- Founding price: $49/mo flat, up to 3 techs
- Your $25 deposit counts toward your first month
- Confirmation emailed to you after purchase
Your founding-member confirmation is emailed to you after purchase. Your $25 counts toward your first month and is fully refundable any time before you start. Refund policy
Frequently asked questions
What pest control categories does Ohio use?
Structural categories start with 10: 10a general pest control, 10b termite control, 10c fumigation, and others. You must pass the core exam plus at least one category (70% to pass).
How many CE hours does Ohio require?
Commercial applicators need 5 hours per 3-year cycle - at least 1 hour core and 0.5 hour per licensed category - or re-examination.
Where can I verify Ohio pest control license requirements?
Directly with Ohio Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Health, Pesticide & Fertilizer Regulation Section - see the official links on this page. We last checked on 2026-09-23.
Sources
- Ohio - commercial applicator (agri.ohio.gov) (accessed 2026-09-23)
- OAC 901:5-11-01 Definitions & pesticide-use categories (accessed 2026-09-23)
- OAC 901:5-11-04 Commercial applicator license (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Ohio - Ohio Admin Code 901 5 11 03 (law.cornell.edu) (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Ohio - Ohio Admin Code 901 5 11 02 (law.cornell.edu) (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Ohio - Ohio Admin Code 901 5 11 08 (law.cornell.edu) (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Ohio - testing (pested.osu.edu) (accessed 2026-09-23)
- Ohio - anr 0140 (ohioline.osu.edu) (accessed 2026-09-23)
- OAC 901:5-11-07 Financial responsibility (insurance) (accessed 2026-09-23)
- OAC 901:5-11-10 Recordkeeping (accessed 2026-09-23)
- ODA Pesticide Exam Registration (accessed 2026-09-23)
- ODA Commercial Applicator Renewal Registry (accessed 2026-09-23)